Flame Over
- May 28, 2015
- Laughing Jackal
- 9h median play time
A charming and well-constructed take on the twin stick shooter, Flame Over endears itself greatly with easy to play, yet difficult to master mechanics which neatly avoid the frustration usually associated with roguelike titles.
Get on Steam"Flame Over" is a challenging firefighting action game. Play as Blaze Caruthers, a brave firefighter, and navigate through various environments to extinguish fires, save survivors, and collect power-ups. With its intense gameplay and randomly generated levels, each playthrough offers a new experience. Battle the inferno, outsmart the flames, and become a hero in this thrilling adventure.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Reviews
- The art style and music are charming and engaging, enhancing the overall experience.
- The gameplay is challenging yet rewarding, with a good balance of urgency and strategy as players manage time and resources.
- The randomly generated levels provide high replayability, ensuring that each playthrough feels unique.
- The game can be frustratingly difficult, especially in later levels, which may deter casual players.
- There are issues with NPC pathfinding, causing them to get stuck and potentially leading to mission failures.
- The lack of a save feature means players must complete levels in one sitting, which can be inconvenient and discouraging.
- gameplay43 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is characterized by a mix of easy-to-understand mechanics and challenging execution, making it engaging yet frustrating at times. Players appreciate the unique firefighting theme and the fast-paced action, but many express concerns about balance issues, unclear mechanics, and a lack of meaningful progression. While the game offers fun and charm, it may be too difficult for casual gamers, with some mechanics feeling unintuitive and the overall experience becoming repetitive after multiple attempts.
“Good controls and overall good mechanics - for the most part, the game's mechanics and ins and outs seem simple to understand, but difficult to master. That's a good sign for a challenging roguelike: 'simple looking, but complex and deep on the inside.'”
“This game is the perfect mixture of easy mechanics but hard gameplay. I like dying by my own stupidity instead of not understanding the controls and mechanics.”
“Flame Over is deceptively cute and funny in its presentation, but behind this seemingly light-hearted game lies a very tough roguelike due to its difficult gameplay and some design choices that add even more challenge.”
“All of this generates a stressful gameplay which the aesthetic doesn't convey at all.”
“Where the game falls is how the mechanics are actually implemented and executed, which in turn creates a domino effect causing balance issues.”
“Gameplay and camera management gets annoying very fast.”
- music36 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its catchy, jazzy, and cheerful style, effectively enhancing the gameplay experience despite being somewhat repetitive. While some players enjoy the immersive and upbeat soundtrack, others find the limited variety and looping nature of the single track can become tiresome over time. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, though opinions vary on its longevity and impact.
“The music is a nice neutral song that doesn't distract from the gameplay, which is excellent since it's the only track in the game, from what I can tell.”
“The soundtrack is simple yet catchy, a jazzy/classic/piano style hybrid of music, with the same flow as 'Cook, Serve, Delicious!' (in terms of the soundtrack itself and pace). It gets hectic at the right times and immerses you in the experience.”
“The graphics are great and the soundtrack is superb!”
“My only complaint with this game is some camera problems that create blind spots (easily could be solved by hiding some walls like average RPG games) and there is only one music theme that suffers from minor changes between levels.”
“The music is equally cheery, though how long before you reach for the 'mute' button on it will be a matter of taste; the sound effects are well into the 'functional' category, they work, that's it.”
“The background music might get repetitive as well, and it doesn't loop smoothly.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, cartoonish art style that stands out from typical pixelated designs, enhancing its appeal as an indie title. Users appreciate the vibrant visuals and cohesive presentation, which effectively contrast with the game's challenging gameplay. Overall, the graphics are well-executed, contributing to a unique aesthetic that complements the game's tone and enhances the overall experience.
“The art style is cute and cartoonish, keeping the style from being dated and capturing the charm of a simple indie game without being just another pixel game, allowing it to stand out more than just another 16-bit game.”
“I was a big fan of the game’s presentation, starting with the music and the comic stylistics of the graphics.”
“The graphics are consistent and cartoonish, and well presented; everything is easy to see, and the controls are quick and easy to manage, which is important for quick reactions to avoid losing lives.”
“Don't be fooled by the cartoonish aesthetic of the game.”
“All of this generates a stressful gameplay which the aesthetic doesn't convey at all.”
“The graphics of the game are very peculiar; they are cartoonish and colorful.”
- story23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story is straightforward, revolving around a firefighter navigating a 16-story building to extinguish fires and rescue civilians and their pets, particularly a quest-giving NPC named 'miss ion.' However, players find the missions tedious and repetitive, often requiring them to complete trivial tasks to progress, which detracts from the overall experience. The lack of depth and engaging narrative elements leaves many feeling unfulfilled, as the gameplay primarily focuses on completing missions rather than exploring a rich storyline.
“The story is pretty straightforward.”
“As a tireless firefighter, we find ourselves in a 16-story building (divided into four sections, each adding new obstacles and elements); our task is to save the world.”
“The civilians and cats aren't there just to fill empty space and add urgency to your mission (though it does do a good job at making the game more intense); they give you bonuses if you save them.”
“Somehow I was both annoyed with several missions and found some downright boring.”
“It wouldn't be so bad if it would progress, but it looks like you need to complete 15 missions before the game lets you go to the next chapter, and if you quit halfway through, all progress is lost.”
“If I had to say there were any bad points to the game, it's that the missions are trivial and annoying, as all you're doing is moving around near objects and pressing F.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "Flame Over" is characterized by its cute and funny presentation, complemented by amusing graphics and sound that enhance the gameplay experience. While the game features a light-hearted tone, it contrasts with its challenging roguelike mechanics, creating a unique blend of humor and difficulty. However, some players noted that the repetitive music and lack of variety in plot and abilities could detract from the overall enjoyment.
“In many more words, this game is funny, moving, real, it pushes the limits, and you can't help but want more.”
“Flame Over is deceptively cute and funny in its presentation, but behind this seemingly light-hearted game lies a very tough roguelike due to its difficult gameplay and some design choices that add even more challenge.”
“[*] Funny graphics and the sound really blends with the gameplay.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game boasts strong replayability due to its random level generation, which introduces variety and challenge in each playthrough. Players appreciate the extended playtime of 45 minutes to an hour per session, enhancing long-term engagement. However, some feel that the slapstick humor may detract from the experience compared to its predecessor, which is noted for its replayability as well.
“It offers a lot of challenge and variety, and the fact that the levels are randomly generated adds a lot of replayability to this game.”
“The random level generation makes the game's replayability great.”
“And, this may be personal preference, but the slapstick angle of the game doesn't work as well as the much more serious and heroic tone of its spiritual predecessor 'The Firemen' (which, if you enjoy this game, is well worth your time to buy/emulate/whatever. It's better, if not nearly so replayable).”
“- replayable, with random map layouts, random upgrades, and random amounts of people/cats to rescue.”
“I think it would add to the long-term replayability of this game since it takes about 45 minutes to an hour per playthrough.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is highly praised, with users reporting good performance and no framerate issues.
“The performance is good.”
“Very optimized; I never have any framerate issues whatsoever.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while the graphics perform well without glitches, significant issues arise during upgrades that can negatively impact gameplay difficulty.
“There are some major glitches involving upgrades, which end up making the game way too hard.”
